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It was a dramatic Wednesday night in Toronto as torrential rainfall wreaked havoc on the city’s roads — and its rivers.

Sections of the Don Valley Parkway were submerged, and all lanes and ramps were closed for several hours between Bloor St. and the Gardiner.

A flooded Don Valley Parkway as seen from a City of Toronto traffic camera

Len Lal was stranded on Bayview Ave. after his car filled with water on his way home from work on Wednesday night. The Don Valley Parkway was closed south of Bloor after flooding caused by torrential rain. (ERIC ANDREW-GEE / TORONTO STAR)

The Don Valley Parkway was closed south of Bloor on Wednesday after heavy rains caused flooding on the highway. Some drivers had to be rescued from their vehicles. (ERIC ANDREW-GEE / TORONTO STAR)

But Torontonians can take heart – the worst of the rainfall is likely over. Environment Canada lifted the special weather statement issued for Toronto shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday’s weather will bring a mix of sun and clouds, and only a 40 per cent chance of showers.

All lanes on the DVP are now open to traffic in both directions. But the rain has caused some damage to GO Transit tracks, cancelling services for 6:25 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. from Richmond Hill to Union.

The TTC reported last night that trains were bypassing Lawrence Station on Line 1 due to heavy flooding. Service resumed shortly after 11 p.m.

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There were also reports of motorists being rescued from their vehicles.

Toronto Fire confirmed that four people were rescued from three separate cars at Taylor Creek Park. Water had risen to the hoods of the vehicles, trapping the passengers.

Len Lal, 31, was on his way home from work when he saw Pottery Rd. was cordoned off. At 10:30, he took Bayview, hoping to get on the DVP.

Right away, he noticed water under his tires. "When you're in it, it's too late, it's way too late."

His car died "right away."

Sitting in the water, Lal tried to start his car to no avail. Pretty soon, water was up to his waist in the car. He took off his shoes, took his valuables, and yanked the door open.

That's when he and a couple of police officers pushed his Hyundai Tiburon back north onto a dry stretch of road.

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"It's like a scene out of Terminator: Salvation," Len says, surveying the roof of a BMW peeking out from a lake of muddy water ahead of him.

Now his thoughts turn to the cost of the dead car, which he shares with his fiancee. He's worried he may face a battle with his insurance company over the car, which he needs to drive to Brock University, where he studies accounting.

Flooding rivers also added to the night’s chaos.

Toronto Fire received a call around 8:15 p.m. of two people stranded in the rushing water on the west side of the Humber River.

A woman was found clinging to a tree that had fallen into the river, and was safely rescued. The second person, a man, made it out of the river on his own. No injuries were reported.

And just before 9 p.m., Toronto Fire received another call.

Stephen Powell, media spokesperson for Toronto Fire, told the Star a group of 15 kayakers just south of the Toronto Humber Yacht Club ran into trouble in the nighttime downpour.

Twelve of the kayakers were able to make it safely to shore, but three became stranded on a marshy sandbar towards the east side of the river.

“The three people on the sandbar were okay, and standing,” said Powell. “But it was very marshy. I imagine in this weather the ground was getting softer and softer.”

A rescue boat was being prepared to save the kayakers, but they were able to make it out on their own. Powell says he was relieved everyone was safely out of the water — and miraculously uninjured.

“In the end they were able to paddle themselves out,” said Powell. “We were able to push the kayaks back to them. The current [of the river] is too strong for them to paddle against, so police are going to transport them back to the north end.”

Powell says it was not immediately clear if the first two rescued people were part of the larger kayaking group or not.

Around 11 p.m., Toronto Hydro reported a power outage in East York affecting around 3,500 customers in the area between O’Connor Dr. to Danforth Ave. and Pape Ave. to Donlands Ave. Power was restored by 11:45 p.m.

Have any crazy Toronto flooding photos? Did you get a shot of the torrential downpour? Tweet @TorontoStar!

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